Power-operated slidable jaw pipe tong



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G N o T E D.. n 1 5 s m m c E J u T A h S m m L a m ..D d A m n 8 mm P G m H E MHV o o o P s e w o a ws 2 OG l 2 5 6 o l L O V O s 0 c 5 O M M 5 Patented Oct. Z8, 1952 UNITED oFFIcE;

Alliert'L.. Stena-Redondo Beach; Califi; assigner., by mesne assignments, to. Standard Oll..Devel9pment..,0ompany Elizaheth, N. J...",. aA corpo! ration. of.' Delaware,-

Applcation-.March 24, 1951; Serial No. 2115366* s; claims. (o1. 2554-35) 1 The.v present-.invention is-A directed ,tol a? device adaptedfor: making up .and releasing; ai: section of. pipe. More particularly, the-inventionxis: dlrected to a device.adajgitedffor.` unscrewinggland for; making up lengths of pipe.. employedsin oil well drilling operations.

In oil well drilling operationsy and the like: it is commento. employ pipe stands-which: usually comprise three lengthsl of pipe.- know-n as a tribble. Intcomingout ofthehole, iti is` conventional practice to release a stand from the pipe-in the hole by exerting torque on thetool jointfby means of tongs and then spinningv out` the length to be released. The elevators then bring up another standwhich isv tonged and then, the stand .is released by a suitable, spinningdevice. which` may be. the. rotary table. or other devices. which are becoming known in the art. i

Conventional tongs are..maintained with.. selfenergizing jaws operated in sucha manner that an increase. in torque. increases the. pressure of the. tong dies on a tool joint. These. jawswrap around. the tool joint in sucha manner that itis impractical to use themas power operated'tongs,

nor is it practicalto dok any liftingwi'th a tong'v'of` this design.

Hydraulically powered'. tongsv have; become known to the oilv industry recently.. In these devices hydraulic, power is employed to applypressure'on the jaws and thus" permit the application of the necessary torque to release the tool joint. It is impractical to combine hydraulic power'and mechanical self-energizing features in the same device for releasing the standsv of pipeatthetool joint since in such devices'the'fluidv pressurenecessary to move the body of the tong into' a grasping' position must hold it in thisv position while torque isapplied. Thus, ifa self-'energizing feature is added,l the pressurey against'the fluid` systemr is increased by the amount offthe mechan-vl ical leverage. Sincel the system must maintain this high pressure, it has been considerednecessary to apply-the high pressure directly', thus eliminating any self-energizing feature. This system makes it necessary to grasp all tool joints with. the same intensity. Thus; the prior art devices employing hydraulic power lhave limitationsV in that the tong required a high powered hydraulicl system, whereas only a portion of the power in such tong devices is needed lto provideA the required` torque.

It is, therefore, the'main object of l'the present invention to providel a'mechanical tong'in which powerto the tong jaws issupplied through a system of mechanical linkages which hold thei jaws in engagement with the outer-periphery of section: or. stands :ofrpipe embodying a,.meclianical self-energizing feature in.. which. the.'y pipe-,is

the pipe to be grasped while" applying' torque n thereto.

' Another object of thepresent inventionisfto "providela devceformakingwp and releasingi'af.

grasped and torcnie applied'. thereto, ina rapid and` eicient manner.

The device-1 of the present invention. embodies a. frame member, a crossheadmember, a, first jaw connected. by a linkarrangement to thacross head member; a door member defining; a.. second jaw, and al powerI operated screw connectedto vthe.iirstfjawand adapted to movethe--latter in a forward; and backward direction.

Other objects of .the present inventionwillbecome apparent by reference to. the, drawingyin Fig. 1 is a partialsectional view looking down.- ward on thedevice of, the. present.. inventiom.

Fig. 2 isfa. perspective view ofthe crossv head Fig.. 3 isa perspective. View of the movable. jaw

.and linka-ges. of the: device. of/Fig. 1;

Fig. 4.l isa. perspective. of thesliding member of. Fig.. 13,

Fig,..5 is across4 sectionshowing a .detailof the power. screw... and. its. attachment. to the cross head, of liig.y 1; l

' Fig. .6.A is. a crosssection showingga detail of. the poweroperated screw and the. bearing "assembly therefor:

Fig. 7. isfa partial sectional view looking'downvward ona, modified embodiment of` Fig.v 1 in Frame member Il denes withits exterior-'surface an eye member I'B and anf'exterior 'shoulder 4T. Slidably arranged inslot. 151s a slide member I8. Slide member i8 is adapted to-move from one side of' center tothe other of slot I5 and is `attached to aiirst jaw member 20' byymeansrof parallel links 2l.v Parallel links12l are connected, respectively', to .jaw member 20 and slide I8V by pinsf22lwhich fit intoholes 22a in links, 2| and holes in'slidey i8. Jaw-member Z'Ilis provided lwi-th-insert-dies 23 which are adaptedto engage `with the outer periphery of a: stand of: pipe or agt'ool joint. Pivotably mounted on thev open end of frame member ll isV a.=d`oor.'member'24 `which encloses a second 'jaWmemberZS-and simliar.v te' 'jaw members 20 1isprovidedwitlizdiesa.

First jaw member 20 and second jaw member 25 cooperate tov form jaws which are adapted to encircle a stand of pipe or a tool joint which is indicated by numeral 21. Jaw member 25 is slidably mounted on rollers 28 to-decrease friction and allow relative movement of first and second jaw members 20 and 25 when force is applied to the device as will be described. The relative the external threads of screw 33 cooperating with internal threads of cross head member I 4 to allow longitudinal movement thereof as will be described. Screw 33 rotates in a recess 5U defined movements of the two jaw members may be de t scribed as a combination of lateral and arcuate movements; the lateral movement is a function of the linkage which prevents the jaw `member 20 from turning to face the pipe as it moves while the arcuate movement is a function of torque exerted on the device. Door member 24 is designed 'to`b opened and closed and is pivotably mounted on frame member II by pin 29. Door member 24 is provided with a second'pin 30 to mount pivotably a latch *member 3| provided with a handle 32 for operation thereof which engages with shoulder I1 of frame II to latch the door 24 and to close frame member II.

Cross headmember I4 is attached to a screw member 33 by a head piece 34 as shown in detail in Fig. 5. Screw member 33 is mounted Within frame member II in bearings 35. Mounted on screw member 33 is a power nut 36, the inner surfaces of which define an internal screw thread which cooperates with the screw member 33 to causea backward or forward motion of screw member 33y depending on the direction of rotation of the power nut 36. Screw member 33 denes a key way 3 1 which is adapted to receive key 38 as shown inI Fig. 6 and thus prevents rotation of the screw 33 and allows it `to travel in a forward or backward direction. By attaching screw 33 to member I4, for example, by welding, key way 31 and key 38 may be omitted. Power nut 36 is actuated by a gear train comprising gears 39 and 40. Gear 40 is mounted on a shaft 4I which is connected to a motor or power means 42 which is mounted within frame member II. Torque is applied to pipe grasped by the device by means of a cable or a rope 43 which passes through eye member I6 and is clamped by clamp 44. The tong may be supported on the derrick floor by well known means similar to those employed on conventional power tongs.

Referring now to Fig. '7, it will be seen that corresponding parts in Figs. -1. to 6 have been designated by corresponding numerals. In this embodiment of the invention frame member II defines a side opening 45 adapted to allow the tong assembly to receive a stand of pipe. Frame member II encloses a second jaw member 4E which is provided with dies 41 and cooperates with jaw member 2D and is adapted to encircle a stand of pipe or a tool joint indicated by numeral 21. It will be seen that jaw member 46 Vlike jaw member 25 of Fig. 1 is slidably mounted on rollers 48 to allow relative movement of rst jaw member 20 and second jaw member 45- when force is applied to the device. The device of Fig. 1 functions identically to the device of Fig. 1 as will be described.

Frame member II denes a recessed inner surface I2 and a shoulder I3 in which is slidably arranged cross head member I4 which defines a slot I as described in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive. The remaining parts of the device of Fig. 7 are similar to the device of Figs. 1 to 6 and further description thereof need not be given here. f

Referring now to Fig. 8, it will be seen that screw 33 is threaded into crosshead member I4,

by frame. 5I. Mounted on frame 5I is a motor 52 provided with a shaft which carries a gear 54. Shaft 53 rotates in bearing 55 defined by frame 5I and actuatesl through gear 54 a second gear 56 which defines with its inner surface a key 51 which cooperates with screw 33 to allow rotational movement thereof as the gears 54 and 56 are-rotated by the motor 52. Thus rotation of the screw 33 in this embodiment of my invention allows forward and backward movement of cross head I4.

The device of the'present invention may be operated as follows with reference to the apparatus of Figs. l to 6: Frame member II is placed around the tool joint'as shown in Fig. 1 with the door member 24 being closed and latched. By causing the motor 42 to operate, the back jaw 25 is moved rapidly forward to grasp the tool joint encircled bythe jaws 20 and 24. The screw, through motor 42 will produce suicient power to permit supporting the weight of a stand of drill pipe which may be as much as a ton or more; enough torsional power is provided to assure that no slippage occurs while the links are applying the added power necessary to apply the the drill stand.

The operation of the device of Fig. 7 is similar to that cf Figs. 1 to 6 with the exception that the manual voperation of closing the door member is dispensed with. Frame member II comprising the tong assembly is placed around the tool joint 26 by. means. of opening 45 with the joint 25 in position in jaw 4E as shown in the drawing. Motor 42 is caused to operate and the back jaw 2! is moved rapidly forward to grasp the tool joint between jaws 20 and 46. The screw 33 produces sumcient power to support the weight of a stand of drill pipe while torsional power is provided through links 2| to apply the necessary torque to break out the tool joint.

The device of Fig. 8 operates similarly to the embodiments of Figs. 1 to '1 with the exception that the screw 33 rotates and by means of being threaded into cross head I4 causes longitudinal movement thereof in forward and backward motion by operation of motor 52 which supplies power through shaft 53 to gears 54 and 5G and thence to screw 33.

It will be apparent that screw 33 rather than be threaded into cross head lmember I4 like in Fig. 8 or anchored to the cross head I4 and powered by a nut 3G as in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, may be rotatably attached- -to permit the improved tong device to accominodate a wide variety of pipe sizes without loss of time.

The screw thread permits the use of a high speed motor attached to the power nut through a single set of gears.

The motor employed in the practice of the present invention may be a fluidly operated motor such as one operated pneumatically or hydraulically, 0r the motor may be an electric motor. The amount of horsepower required to operate the improved device should be in the range from about one-half horsepower up to about five horsepower.

The device of the present invention may be suspended from a cable adapted to be mounted within va derrick, or it may be mounted on a suitable post on the derrick iioor which will allow it to be swiveled into or out of position as desired. Whatever type of supporting means is used, it should be of sufficient strength to support a stand of pipe weighing a tcn or more.

The nature and objects of the present invention having been completely described and illustrated, what I wish to claim as new and useful and to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device adapted for making up and releasing a stand of pipe which comprises a frame member defining a longitudinally7 extending slide surface, said frame member being open at one end and closed at the other, a cross head member arranged within said frame member and adapted to slide on the surface defined by said frame member, a first jaw member movably connected to said cross head member and adapted to engage with the outer periphery of a stand of pipe, a screw member arranged in said frame member and connected to said cross head member, power means arranged within said frame member operably connected to said screw member and adapted to move said screw member and said first jaw member forward to and backward from said open end, and a latchable door member on said frame member defining a second jaw cooperating with said first jaw to encircle the outer periphery of a stand of pipe and arranged to close the open end of said frame member.

2. A device adapted for making up and releasing a stand of pipe which comprises a frame member defining a longitudinally extending slide surface and a shoulder adapted to receive a slidable member, said frame member being open at one end and closed at the other, a cross head member arranged within said frame member and adapted to slide on said surface, a first jaw movably connected with said cross head to the movement of said first jaw member.

4. A device adapted for making up and releasing a stand of pipe which comprises a frame member defining a longitudinally extending slide surface and a side opening in said frame member parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof adapted to permit said frame member to embrace a stand of pipe and a rst jaw member adjacent said side opening, a cross head member arranged within said frame member and adapted to slide on the surface dened by said frame member, a second jaw member connected to said cross head member and adaptedto engage with the outer periphery of a stand of pipe and adapted to cooperate with said first jaw member in embracing a stand of pipe, a screw member arranged in said frame member and connected to said cross head member, and power means arranged within said frame member operably connected to said screw member and adapted to move said screw member and said second jaw member forward to and backward from said first jaw member.

5. A pipe tong comprising, in combination, a frame member provided with means to receive a pipe and having a longitudinally extending slide surface, a first pipe gripping jaw member carried by said frame member, a cross head member arranged within said frame member to slide on the longitudinally extending slide sur- `face, a second pipe gripping jaw member member and adapted for forward and backward motion, a pair of parallel link members movably connected to said first jaw member and said cross head member, a screw member arranged on said frame member and connected to said cross head member, power means arranged within said frame member, a gear train operably connecting said power means and -said screw member, a door member pivotally mounted on said frame member mounting a second jaw cooperating with said first jaw to encircle the outer periphery of a stand of pipe and adapted to close the open end of said frame member, and a latch member pivotally mounted on said door member adapted to engage with an exterior shoulder defined by said frame member.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which said second jaw is slidably mounted in said door member in perpendicular relationship movably connected to said cross head member, a screw member arranged in said frame assembly operably connected to said cross head member, and power means mounted in said frame member operably connected to said screw member to move said second jaw member forward to and backward from said first jaw member.

46. A pipe tong in accordance with claim 5 in which said first jaw member is slidably mounted in said frame member in perpendicular relationship to the movement of said second jaw member.

7. A pipe tong in accordance with claim 5 in which the means to receive the pipe is an open end of said frame member provided with a pivotally mounted latchable door member and in which the first pipe gripping jaw member is carried by said door mem-ber.

8. A pipe tong in accordance with claim 5 in which the means to receive the pipe is a side opening in the frame member parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame member and adjacent the first jaw member.

9. A device in accordance with claim 4 in which the first jaw member is slidably mounted in the frame member adjacent said side opening in perpendicular relationship to the movement of said second jaw member.

ALBERT L. STONE..

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 326,380 Ball Sept. 15, 1885 1,342,870 Robichaux et al. June 8, 1920 1,463,648 Duley July 31, 1923 1,837,645 Baash et al Dec. 22, 1931 1,837,689 Sunde Dec. 22, 1931 1,845,389 Baash et al Feb. 16, 1932 2,305,624 Lange et al Dec. 22, 1942 2,576,203 Wilson Nov. 27, 

